IDCRC Mentee Profile: Natalya Beneschott, MD

Vanderbilt University

Natalya Beneschott, MD, is a clinical fellow in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Beneschott's research focuses on the host immune response, specifically the immunobiology in the postoperative period after congenital heart disease repair. The pathophysiology of PICS (Persistent Inflammation, Immunosuppression, & Catabolism Syndrome) in the CHD population is the focus of her fellow research project.

Dr. Beneschott is a member of the IDCRC's Mentorship Program cohort. This is designed to offer mentoring and development of early career investigators and fellows in clinical and translational infectious diseases research. Learn more about the program here.

Tell us more about your background and what led you to a career in infectious disease research.

I grew up competing in competitive gymnastics, which is where I first discovered my interest in the human body. Even from a young age, I was very detail-oriented and tried to understand the science behind the acrobatics I was performing. Gymnastics was where I first discovered my natural curiosity and the joy of working with kids. It provided me with the tools to develop a methodical approach to problem-solving that has served me well in medicine.

I first became interested in infectious diseases (ID) in college when I had an opportunity to work in a research lab that was developing rapid diagnostics for Cryptococcus. The fascinating mix of microbiology, immunology, and medicine drew me in immediately. I am now a third-year pediatric infectious diseases fellow physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and part of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program (VVRP). The hosts' response to infections, particularly the immunocompromised and critically ill patient populations, remains a major area of interest for me.

Can you share more about your research and the goals of your work?

One of the most challenging aspects of pediatric ID is differentiating infections from other pathologies. We often struggle to determine if acute infection or the immune response is the primary driver of an acute illness. Under the mentorship of Buddy Creech, MD, MPH, we are currently exploring the functional immunity of children after surgical repair of congenital heart disease (CHD). We designed an observational cohort study investigating a unique phenotype of chronic critical illness called persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism syndrome (PICS). Acute events such as surgery or sepsis may trigger some hospitalized patients to develop PICS and experience dysregulated inflammation, blunted immune responses, and recurrent infections. PICS has been researched in adult patients but has not yet been well described in pediatrics. Our primary goal is to characterize the immunometabolic phenotypes in PICS and distinguish them from acute infection. This has the potential to aid in developing prognostic, diagnostic, and eventual therapeutic approaches for managing these critically ill children.

What are you looking forward to most in the IDCRC Mentorship Program?

I'm excited about meeting the various leaders and experts within ID. It's such a passionate group of people, and the mentorship program provides an approachable atmosphere to connect with others around the country.

What is a strength of the importance of the IDCRC?

The IDCRC does a great job supporting mentees with diverse interests while also getting them excited about collaborating on clinical research.

What do you like to do outside of ID research?

I can usually be found playing with my dogs, listening to podcasts or audiobooks, finding fun ways to exercise on ClassPass, kayaking, cooking, reading, and FaceTiming my niece.